I Get That This Is Deeply Ironic...

As I'm sure you've already heard, the Koch brothers are in the middle of a hostile takeover of the Cato Institute, which they plan to turn from what it is (a libertarian think-tank, and I do use that last phrase lightly, or maybe even with scare quotes) into a noise machine for their special brand of Far-Right political hackery: shills for the 1%, in other words.

Amanda over at Pandagon, along with others on the left, have pointed out this is what you get when you lie down with dogs -- or, well, when you lick the boots of the kennel master, I guess. You roll over for it, it owns you. Don't be surprised when it decides it can do what it likes with what you thought was yours.

Which I see that point.

On the other hand, I'm diametrically opposed to giving the Koch brothers another voice, even one like the Cato Institute (which, let's face it, is hardly a friend to progressive causes, despite its anti-war stances).

That is to say, will the world be better or worse place if the Koch brothers take this venue over? I think we can clearly see it will be a worse place.

Though of course Amanda is right: the rules the Koch brothers are using are the rules the people at Cato said they were in favor of. Seems odd that they are complaining now. Would they be complaining if it was some liberal rag -- the Nation -- being taken over this way? Inquiring minds want to know.

And why don't they all just do what they advise all of us to do? Go off and start their own rag if they don't like what the Koch brothers are doing?

Or get another job somewhere else. I heard Pajamas Media is hiring.